As my readers know, I basically live my entire life on these kind of restrictions and detoxes. Although I have not signed up for Sugar-free September, I too am reviewing my eating habits on September 1 and undertaking a 3-day cleanse in Bali starting September 2 as a kick-start.

But, enough about me (I’m always ragging on about MY issues…lol). I want to use this post to learn more about 22-year-old Jaimie and why she wants to give up sugar for a month. It’s not an easy thing to do so I was curious to find out what her reasons and expectations are. Let’s find out…

I’m always looking for ways to better my health. I know that I eat a lot of sugar on a daily basis, maybe I’m even addicted to it. I liked a few pages on Facebook and researched refined sugars and the effect they have on you, so when I saw Sugar-free September advertised, I thought it was a great excuse to give it a crack.

Do you have any health concerns you are hoping to sort out?

Mainly just the addiction to sugar and energy levels to sort out. My energy levels can be very high and plummet pretty quickly. I have read that energy fluctuations can be attributed to sugar intake and digestion of refined sugars. I also have Crohn’s disease which I’m not sure how affected it is by sugar so it will be interesting to see if that improves as well.

How strict is the 30-day challenge?

It’s basically just giving up refined sugars.

Here’s a definition from online:

The term “refining” means to remove by a purification process, certain coarsenesses or impurities. Sugar refining is the process of extracting out the sugar (sucrose) from the plant materials and then removing other unwanted materials from the extracted raw sugar.These substances can include remaining stalk fibers, soil, insect parts, molds, bacteria and waxes. (http://www.becomehealthynow.com/article/carbs/1082/)

Natural sugars from fruit will be fine and alternatives such as rice malt syrup, raw honey, pure maple syrup, molasses, dates etc are suggested to help with cooking and sweetness as these are the most natural, unprocessed sweeteners. I’m basically giving up all processed foods as you never know the sugar levels in it.

What kind of professional advice or guidance have you sought?

I haven’t seen a naturalist or a doctor, I just signed up for the challenge. They provided me with a recipe book and I’ve done a lot of research into what I can and can’t have.

What are you doing to prepare yourself?

Tomorrow morning I’m going to the local markets to stock up on fresh fruit and vegetables. I’ll also go to a few organic shops to grab anything else I need. I will probably spend most of tomorrow preparing meals to freeze and test out so it’s not so stressful during the month.

How do you think you will go?

I’m quite committed! I don’t like doing a half-assed job. I do live a very busy life so as long as I keep on top of food preparations I think I’ll do well! Once my body has gotten through the first few days I think it will get easier.

What are your expectations?

I’ve spoken to a few people that have ‘quit sugar’ just in general and they say they have twice as much energy as before and even lost some weight. I’m not overly interested in the weight thing but I expect my energy levels will level out rather than be up and down, I think I will sleep better and just have a general better feel about myself.

Do you think we eat too much sugar?

Absolutely. I think it’s a very sneaky drug that obviously we all know isn’t great but don’t know the full stress it’s putting on our bodies. The more processed foods that come into our body, the harder it has to work to get them out.

Jaimie says she’s not

the unhealthiest person, but there’s definitely room for improvement.

I think it’s really important to recognise that there’s always room for improvement – in all aspects of our lives – but isn’t our health the most important?